Page 29 of Scrap Metal & Love Reforged

She nodded and steered into Bluehaven’s traffic, heading downtown. I couldn’t help but think of the antique shops I’d visited with Seth. Skye would be driving right past them.

“So how was work?” she asked.

I shrugged. “Fine, I guess. Being a mechanic isn’t too exciting, you know. Nothing much changes with us.”

Skye nodded. “I guess.”

Yep, this conversation was going well.

“I have a friend you might get along well with,” Skye said after a moment. “She’s a nice girl. Works at the library.”

I arched an eyebrow. It was too clear where Skye was going with this. Of all the goofy things she could dream up to absolutely drive me nuts…

“That’s nice.”

My sister’s eyes cut to me briefly before turning back to the road. “She’s a very nice girl, and I think you’d really benefit from getting to know her.”

“Getting to know her…biblically?”

It was obvious what she meant, but I could not resist.

“Shame on your gutter mouth! I just think you need to be a little more social.”

Ah, there it was.

“I will have you know,” I said, “that I actuallydidgo out and do something social earlier today. It was fun.”

My sister’s eyes widened. “Did you?”

I couldn’t help but smirk a bit at her surprise. “Yes, I did. It was fun. We went antique shopping.”

“Interesting.”

She was clearly more startled than interested, and it was seldom that I got the opportunity to catch my sister off-guard. “And before you say it—you were right. I’ve already heard the whole spiel from one of my friends online. Okay?”

Skye shook her head. “I just can’t believe you actually went out anddidsomething. I am genuinely proud of you. Who is it?”

“Someone I met.”

“Oh. No kidding. I was thinking maybe you picked up a bum or something.”

“Yeah, funny. You should be on TV. Someone I…” I trailed off. “Someone Imightbe interested in. Romantically. So, thanks on the friend, but I don’t think I really need to meet her.”

Skye’s eyebrows rose so high that they seemed to disappear into her hairline. “You actuallymetsomeone? A real person? Not someone you’re just making up as an excuse not to be social.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not making it up.”

“Well, good. I’m proud of you. She’s a very lucky lady.”

A “lucky lady?”The phrase tied my stomach in a knot. Of course, Skye thought that I had found a woman. She didn’t know that I was gay. I’d never told her.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and considered saying something. She was my sister. She was overbearing and sometimes abrasive, but she was only that way because she cared. And surely, she’d accept something likeI’m gay.Surely. But if I told her, I’d have to tell my parents, and I just wasn’t up for that noise.

If I told Skye, I knew she’d nag me into an early grave going on and on about how I had to tell our parents. I didn’t exactly want to set myself up for that either.

“Yeah. I guess. Lucky. She’s a real cutie-pie.”

I felt a spark of guilt for lying to her, but really, I had more at stake with this issue than she did. I weighed the odds. Did I feel like opening this can of worms here and now, with everything was going marginally better than usual?